Facets of the Kaleidoscope
by Ascarde
Summary: The Avatar, Grima, is closely connected to the workings of the universe. I do not own Fire Emblem. Please support the official release. Now turned into my very own drabble collection!
1. Time Traveler

It was all slowly clicking into place.

Robin's flawless strategy, almost as if he had rehearsed it somehow. Precise instructions which none question and always resulted in a flawless victory. Crisply listing off people that would be brought into a battle, and those who would not, all without even looking at the roster. No such strategist existed.

Even the best would have mistakes. Even the best would have errors, or surprises. Not Robin. Enemy reinforcements came, he barely batted an eye and the rear guard he left trailing a small distance away dealt with them shortly and promptly. It was almost like he knew exactly who and what the enemy would deploy before they did so. And none saved Lucina had that insight.

Robin was a time traveler. And so it was natural he would be confronted in his private tent. Only Chrom and Lucina were allowed in here; Chrom to being his best friend and Lucina being his most trusted confident.

"Chrom, you believe that?" he asked calmly. No surprise; was he truly on to something there?

"Lucina and Cynthia are both living proof of that. I don't see why that wouldn't apply to you," he said logically. He was never the thinker of the Shepherds; people did wrong, he went and fixed it. But one does not grow up to be a prince and not pick up a rapier sharp mind.

"You mean despite the fact that Lucina and Cynthia have no memory of me, and if I was a time traveler they would at least have trace memories?"

"Is it not possible you hail from a different time?"

Robin was silent after that. Chrom knew that look; it was whenever Robin was thinking during the rare moments he had to.

Finally, he nodded once. "Astute guess, friend."

Chrom had to know; "What time did you come from?"

Robin snorted in derision. "Time? I come from every timeline. You could call me omnipresent across all timelines. I am aware of every action my other selves make, every minute detail they see is recorded within me as well. I'm… unique in that matter."

"Then why did you not devise a plan sooner to save Emm? Why did you let her die?" Chrom nearly shouted, his disbelief at the possibility of his friend even letting his sister die…

It was inconceivable! Unfathomable!

Robin gazed at him solemnly, and in that instant Chrom felt as if he was looking at an aged man. "There are some restrictions to movement through time of my level, Chrom. I must leave my physical body behind to do so," as he said this he blew on his hand slightly. Chrom's eyes bulged at seeing the fingers flicker, before snapping abruptly in place.

"You're a-"

"A spirit of sorts, yes," Robin smiled thinly, one devoid of any real amusement. "There must be a version of myself waiting at the destination for me to inhabit and use. Upon arrival, I can only move forward, as per the laws of time. And I cannot change events which are destined to happen."

"B-but you said that there was no such thing as pre determined fate…"

"I lied," he said simply. "Well, more accurately there's no pre destined fate for you. You are destined to become Exalt, Lucina is destined to traverse through time. What differs however, is in your execution. Through my subtle nudges you and her have changed a grand multitude of things from varying timelines."

Robin strode past him and down the barrack hallway. Chrom quickly turned to follow him. He opened the door leading to the Shepherds rest room; which had turned from a spartan room with only a table to a lively room filled with color. The others were out at this time of day; he was only here due to the fact that he would know Robin was.

Upon the circular table sat a thick book. No one seemed to notice its existence save Chrom and Robin. Others walked right by it. Robin would occasionally read from it, but it's pages appeared all but blank to him. He paused before the book and Chrom walked right into him.

"This is not our first journey together, Chrom. It is not our second, nor our third, nor even our fourth. It is our seventh," Robin said softly, his fingers delicately running over the blank book's cover.

"S-seven?"

"Yes, seven. In many of them, not the… best chances occurred. Sumia was felled by a wind wielding Risen. Cordelia was struck down, ironically, by a Pegasus Knight as she was training as a Hero. Gregor was cut down protecting Nowi when we first saw them due to my initial hesitance in aiding them. Emmeryn survived the fall," Chrom choked on his breath, "But we failed to reach her in time and she was cut down by bandits in the town she took residence in."

"The second time was better. We managed to get through our battles with minimum casualties, and we only had to withdraw to tend to our injuries. I had given the exact same advice since then; retreat from the field should you be too injured to fight. To not toss away the life you've been given."

Robin shook his head. "It wasn't enough. We managed to save Emmeryn, but we failed in converting Walhart and Gangrel to our cause. The third was much of the same; we succeeded in getting Gangrel to our cause, but Walhart fell against my magic."

Chrom's brain had shut down at the thought of fighting alongside that filth Gangrel. And while Walhart was indeed not a lost cause, the thought of fighting alongside him made him uneasy.

He tuned back in just in time to hear, "…was a woman and married you instead of Sumia…"

"Wait, WHAT?!" Chrom practically roared.

Robin turned a blank look, yet a small smile tugged his lips and he gazed at Chrom with affection. "I chose to be a woman in a timeline and married you instead of Sumia."

Chrom sputtered, "Wha-wh-why would you do that?!"

Robin shrugged, turning to the book and saying, "It amused me." It was quite surprising Chrom was still functioning at this point, having been hit with far more than anyone could reasonably handle. Robin, however, wasn't done.

"The fifth we succeeded in getting Gangrel, Walhart, Emmeryn; we even managed to get a Hero called Priam. He was a decedent of Ike, the creator of Aether. We ended up falling trying to get Aversa, losing, ironically to ourselves."

"The experience gained through the past six cycles resulted in the sixth being absolutely perfect. Not a single loss of life, and all who were willing to join our cause did. We flawlessly beat Grima, beat Validar, beat all who opposed us. Perfection embodied. We became the Strongest, ascending to the apotheosis of power. Immortalized, deified, much like Naga and the Divine Dragons. How do you think they acquired their name?"

"I wanted to see if I could replicate that feat; thus, our seventh and final journey together."

Chrom muttered, "Our last journey…?"

Robin nodded. "Indeed. I will break the cycle; time for all of us will return to normal; you will age and die of old age along with all of our companions. I will simply become a possibility."

For the first time, Chrom saw Robin open the book and mutter a few words. They resonated powerfully in the air, and carried weight that not even Robin's strongest magic managed to carry.

"As for my story of traveling through time and gaining all this experience and knowledge..."

Slowly, images appeared next to him, flickering into existence next to him. They were all identical in build. Minute differences in hair style, hair color, but they were all irrefutably Robin. One female gazed upon Chrom with affection that matched, no, surpassed what Sumia showed him.

"They can vouch for that."

* * *

A/N: My final story.

I've been playing Fire Emblem Awakening for an almost excessive amount of time since I got it. This is my reasonable way of explaining the existence of the Avatar Logbook, which basically is your New Game+. Except you don't actually carry over your Avatar over, nor your money. But, it's the closest you'll get to a New Game+.

Once you play the game many times, it matters only what difficulty you play on. Otherwise, you can do literally exactly what you do and only the RNG will decide if your playthroughs will be identical. Even then there's likely to be little variances.

No one save Chrom is married, and he is to Sumia. As a direct result, the only ones from the second generation are Lucina and Cynthia.

In case anyone cares, I married Cordelia (like I thought I would months before I even got the game) and ended up with a severely overpowered Severa and Morgan. I'm not even kidding; we basically four way cleared Priam's map and only narrowly lost to King Marth on Spotpass. Due to me being piss broke I don't have any DLC and did not actually play Apotheosis. Nor do I have any real desire to; that looks fucking scary. I'll settle with any difficulty, but I'll only ever play on Casual. Like hell I'm going to let a mistake rob me of my Cordelia (who was a one man army due to the RNG favoring her).

For the final time,

~Ascarde

P.S: You may see me in reviews as Se7en. I'm retiring from activeness on this account due to other things coming up. Also shamelessly stole some dialogue from Kingdom Hearts: DDD, which is the next I plan to get.


	2. World Traveler

Right, so I said that this would be my last story.

I lied.

Well, that's not entirely true. Perhaps I was thinking that maybe I could finally shrug off the mantle of writer once and for all, but it's come to my attention that the vast majority of the stories that concern Awakening are centered around either shipping or Robin's sacrifice.

That's all well and good, but where's the innovation? I don't mean to sound like a prick, but where's the world exploration that seems so rampant in other fictions? Where's the plots and possibilities that could've come out of this game? What if Robin was woken up by Walhart because he was in another field, or if he was found by bandits, honorable or not who took him in? Exploration of Grima's story and character, and any alternate interpretations that come of those? What if Grima actually had kept his promise to leave Chrom and the others alone if the Avatar returned to him? What about the Einerjars? Lyn's in particular is full of possibilities.

I originally picked up the pen because I always loved the "what ifs" in stories; my paper stories, ones that I won't publish because they suck revolved around people choosing different options. If Frederick insisted on keeping the Avatar out of the Shepherds. If Chrom had reached Emmeryn in time. If, if, if.

So I'm turning this story into what is my drabbles story for Awakening. Any short stories that I write that don't have a plot or are too short to publish will go in here. Of course, just to show I have, in fact, been writing, here's a little drabble. One that was born after seeing the DLC characters instead of the Spotpass. It was too short to publish, but it's perfect for my return out of ten minute retirement.

* * *

Chrom couldn't stop pacing.

This was nothing unusual; most people pace to shave off extra energy and gather their thoughts. Chrom was more of the person to punch holes in stone walls, but even he was not mindless. However, his thoughts were filled more with the thought of his Grandmaster, Robin.

They ventured into the Outrealm twice so far. Fighting alongside legends of old was inspiring, even more so when they managed to fell one. They certainly lived up to their legends, that was for sure, but his thoughts were focused on a particular duo that had remained with them and accompanied them into virtually every battle.

The Einherjars Lyn and Marth...

Einherjars were explained to be mere phantoms in the form of the person they were said to be. Yet these two Einherjars in particular contradicted that statement. King Marth was almost constantly near Chrom, almost as if he was watching over his descendent. More often than not Chrom's life was saved due to the Lodestar shoving him aside and deflecting the blow. It was not just Chrom; both Lucina and Sumia were also extended this courtesy.

Marth comforted him when they failed to save Emm, and even had a faint smile when she was discovered to be alive. Even Falchion was responding to him; he wielded it whenever Lucina was injured and was recovering. Falchion would not respond to a fake, assuring them that it was indeed the soul of the Hero King.

Robin said that the Einherjars were intelligent and claimed he held conversation with both Marth and Lyn, yet they make no responses to getting stronger, save a slight change in expression for the faintest fraction of a second. Marth would respond to his descendents by raising his head. Lyn would look at Robin whenever they entered a battlefield.

Chrom had heard of the tactician of Elibe; it was claimed to be the greatest mind of the era, yet next to no details of his or her existence were recorded. He had _not_ heard of Marth's friend and closest confidant, who according to Marth greatly resembled Robin.

"_A member of my royal guard who became a lifelong friend._"

Robin recounted this statement to Chrom, which caught his interest. He could recount all the names of Marth's companions, the King's Blade Cain, Altea's Shield Abel, the advisor Jagen; all of them were memorized and famously recorded. Their existence was irrefutable.

The only mention of this friend was a fleeting footnote in the cracked and yellowed journal of the Hero King himself, citing a blurred name as the Altea's greatest knight.

Lyn's Einherjar was constantly by Robin's side, practically a second shadow. Whenever a spear or hand axe flew towards Robin, far off from any allies, Lyn appears and saves him.

"_Keep me by your side, and none shall harm you._"

That was what the few Shepherds Chrom and Robin had taken them to confront Lyn heard. It had since become Robin's constant companion. He said he felt "safer, and a faint sense of nostalgia."

Robin, or Robin's soul at the very least, was intertwined with two of the most famous legends ever recorded. These two legends also happened to have a fifteen hundred year gap as well as the somewhat minor stumbling block of Elibe being on another world.

How in Naga's name could he be tied to two people from entirely different worlds? Was Robin also a world traveler, as well as a master of time travel? Just how deeply was Robin involved in the world's affairs?

* * *

Set after the drabble preceding this. Post Robin's sacrifice ending. Chrom is aware of Robin being a multi-dimensional super being that could crush him with a single hand, with Grima having returned to his soul.

I'm not sure if any of your units are present when your unit speaks to the Einherjar you recruited, but regardless, if you've recruited these two, _how can no one make a comment on how two legendary heroes are familiar with your character_? It seemed such a waste not to at least point out.

Should any further, welcome inspiration find its way into either the reviews or my documents, I may write it. If you've a prompt you'd like me to try, I'll do my best on it.

Should none come, then I will sink into dormancy until it does.


	3. Eirei

"You actually managed to clear the castle of the strongest?!" Old Hubba practically shouted in Chrom's face. The Shepherds had defeated Grima and most had wandered off back to their own lives. For a somewhat belated victory celebration, they decided to test their strength against what Anna stated was the castle of the strong. Enemies that were too strong wandered there to fight worthy opponents.

They had beaten the first, claimed the Tactician of the King, Katarina, and did it all over again. It was certainly difficult, but they had their own Einherjar to assist. It was absolutely their most challenging battle.

But they emerged victorious, Robin pinning the Supreme Emblem over the Shepherd's mantelpiece. The Shepherds were basking in the warm glow of victory, discussing what they could do differently, what worlds they could explore now that the Outrealm gates were open. Say'ri was already packing to go find the alternate version of her brother. Walhart was long gone.

"Yes, and they certainly deserved their name," Chrom said with a happy smile on his face. He was always satisfied after a good fight.

Old Hubba's face turned grave. "I see. You already got your Einherjar prize, but I'll throw in something a little extra. A different type of Einherjar."

He prooffered a card. It was certainly unusual and absolutely different from their own Einherjar collection, the fine artwork and gold thread inlay of the greatest missing. It was a rather simply designed card, featuring an armored man with a bow and arrow cocked skywards. At the bottom simply read "Archer."

"'Archer?' I've heard of no such hero…" Robin said thoughtfully.

Old Hubba smiled wickedly. "These little puppies are called 'Heroic Spirits,' or 'Eirei' in their realm's original language. They… well, let's just say their a bit more animated than your own Einherjar. They speak, they laugh, they feel emotions. They are completely different from the Einherjar of this realm."

His face grew serious. "I must warn you, I don't know what spirit you'll summon. There's six more of these cards, but they're in the care of an old friend of mine. The Archer card in particular is notorious for being rebellious. What you may summon may not listen to your call. Also, it will only obey one person's commands; their summoner."

Chrom replied, "Well, Robin is the only person with the magical aptitude to even summon the Einherjar in the first place. That's why he keeps them instead of passing them around to us."

Old Hubba smiled feebly, "I suppose your right. Here," he put the card in Robin's hand in gripped it tightly. "The Outrealms are yours to explore; you've proven your strength firsthand. There's no tasks for you to do, however realms you've visited in the past will return to their original self upon arrival." He wandered off into the brilliant lights of the gate.

"A legendary hero from another realm, huh? I can certainly believe it; the only Einherjar we have that could match this one would be Marth's, and even his is but a shadow compared to this one," Robin noted. Einherjar had faint magical signatures, and the stronger ones typically had a greater signature and a "feeling." Marth's for instance had a signature comparable to the leftover residue from a Thoron blast, and left a feeling of kindness and strength in its presence. Ishtar's thundered proudly, yet gave off a feeling of sorrow.

This one, "Archer"… The magic pouring off of it nearly buckled the magic sensitive members of the Shepherds. Most of them recoiled away the instant Chrom and Robin emerged from the gate, and even Robin was grimacing slightly. The card roared of might, majesty, cruelty, and a sorrow so deep Robin teared up.

He placed the card on the soil before Ylisstol, and sent the magical energy required to summon Marth, the greatest of the Einherjar they posessed. The output was comparable to a powerful, Ignis-infused Thoron. Such a surge would cripple even Grima, and now with the Fell Dragon having returned to Robin's soul, it was even stronger.

The card did not respond.

A murmur went through the gathered Shepherds. For the card not to respond meant that magical energy was insufficient. They could convert money to power, and Robin gathered a large sack of coins, seventy thousand, and resent the power.

This got a response; the world itself literally shattered into pieces. A starry expanse dazzled the gathered Shepherd. Each and every star blinked out of existence, plunging them into darkness.

"Such a powerful response. For you to awaken me is a testament to your ability, despite your companions' mediocrity."

That was not an ordinary voice. It was too haughty, too prideful. Hearing that voice froze Robin. He could not formulate a response to that voice, an absolute declaration.

Suddenly, sharp, all encompassing warmth enfolded them. "Urgh! Gods, what is this?" grunted Chrom. Even in the windless vacuum of this area, his cape flapped in response to unseen power.

Far off in the distance, the light accumulated and condensed into a single point, brilliant as the sun. Fighting against the fear that froze him, Robin turned towards it…

And instantly bowed his head as the thunderous voice echoed. "You lack manners! Lowly mongrels like yourselves have no right to look upon me without permission. I do not permit commoners to look at me, nor to speak to me, nor to make requests of me. I should kill you where you stand for your insolence."

The air froze, poised on a dagger's edge. That cold hearted declaration wasn't a threat. It was intention.

"However… in recompense for your power, I'll give you, summoner, a single chance. Are you my Master? Be quick. Next I blink you will be torn asunder."

"Wh-?!" Robin gasped before clamping his mouth shut. Chrom opened his mouth and nearly drew Falchion in self defense before Sumia tackled him to the ground.

Master. Master. Master. When this figure said it, it had a certain respect. He was sure that there was really one answer.

"I am your Master."

"Hmph, very well. In respect to our contract, I will give you the opportunity to question me. I will give you the privilege of speaking with me. And you and your companions will be forgiven for looking upon me."

They were back in the starry expanse. Yet it was not the stars that gave off stunningly dazzling light. It was the golden knight that stood before them.

He stood, floating in the stars, brighter than anything. His arms folded casually yet there was no doubt he could reach out and snap Robin's neck as easily as breathing. The Shepherds froze. Ironically, the Shepherds were frozen in terror against this golden man; they were the sheep, he was the Shepherd.

"Not a bad expression. To look is the third of your permissions. Now, you are called Robin, yes?"

He nodded numbly.

"Ah, I have discerned my contractor's name. As expected of the greatest of Eirei. I am the King of Heroes, Gilgamesh. You will call me that."

He began to walk off amongst the stars, before pausing and stating, "Call me when you are in a fight. You may be a suitable source of entertainment."

As the golden king disappeared amongst the light of the stars, the world slowly reformed around them, and with a suddenness that was unnverving to them, who already gotten used to the feeling of weightlessness amongst the stars, they were back in Ylisse's courtyard.

The Eirei called "Archer" - no, Gilgamesh, was crackling with golden lightning.

* * *

A/N: The Einherjar and Kalied Prisma Illya... I sense potential with this thought...

In case you are curious, here's his stats.

Gilgamesh

Starting class: Gorgeous

Class help: The King of Heroes, will overall high stats and no weaknesses.

Quotes:

Battle:

Dual Support:

"Entertain me, mongrel."

"The King will aid you."

"Keep calm."

"Look alive."

Dual Strike:

"How droll!"

"You bore me."

Dual Guard:

"Not a chance."

"I don't think so."

Critical:

"May your broken body amuse me."

"You... you must really want to do!"

"I'll grant you a quick death."

Defeated enemy:

"How boring."

"I didn't even warm up!"

Partner defeated enemy:

"Well done."

"Would you like a reward for that?" - if enemy was killed by Robin.

Killed by enemy:

"That's... not... possible!"

Retreat quote:

"I have no wish to die in this foreign world. Our contract ends here."

Due to him only respecting his Master, he can only support with Robin. However, he holds absolutely no romantic interest in his Master, and he is the only one that cannot be S - Supported.

In his conversations with a Male Avatar, he is confronted about his lack of respect towards the Shepherds and himself. In response, the Avatar is challenged to earn his respect, stating that "Only two people ever lived who have gotten my respect." The B - Support details the first who ever gained it, the only one crowned with the title of his friend. In the A - Support, Gilgamesh reveals that he has been drawn away from his current Master, the second person, but will reside in the world for a little longer. "I've watched you come this far, and I will see it to the end."

In his conversations with a Female Avatar, he notes the lack of funds the Shepherds have. Robin wonders how much they will get if she sells his golden armor. Gilgamesh apologizes, as he does not know poverty and asks the Avatar to stay away, saying "I have little understanding of the concept called poverty. …Forgive me. And do not approach me. Poverty appears contagious."

In his B - Support, he notes Robin furiously saving all funds and going to the Golden Gaffe map. ("You must have a security leak, your funds are stolen so easily.") Robin goes all Olivia-ish in response to her own "secret stash." In the A - Support, Robin has amassed a formidable fortune, and Gilgamesh is impressed. He says however, "If you desired money, you could've asked."

His Barracks conversations change. He does not greet other units and only appears in the bottom screen. He is gradually shown to warm to the Avatar, initially (and only) saying, "I'm not interested in whatever drivel you have to say." Once the A - Support is unlocked, the normal barracks is unlocked.

Quotes: Barracks

Greeting - Male

"Bright and early, mongrel? I approve." (morning)

"Breaking so soon? I'm disappointed." (day)

"Eat and rest, mongrel. We're busy tommorow." (evening)

"Ignoring me? Get some rest, Avatar." (night)

"You'll get no present from me, mongrel. My presence itself is a gift!" (birthday)

Greeting - Female

"Women usually sleep in." (morning)

"Where to, woman?" (day)

"Is that it for today, Robin?" (evening)

"Get some rest, mongrel. You need it." (night)

"You'll get no present from me, woman. My presence itself is a gift!" (birthday)

Roster

_A disdainful and prideful hero from another world. While cruel, his power is undeniable and he speaks only truths. Avatar is trying to get his respect. The one who gives the best advice. He does not know his birthday._

Starting Class - Gorgeous (Class Skill: King's Right)

Level - 30

HP - 60

Str - 50

Mag - 50

Skl - 50

Spd - 50

Lck - 50

Def - 50

Res - 50

Move - 5

Skills - King's Right (Chance of any skill activating. Passive skills are included. No gender specific skills are as a result from this. No Galeforce on this Gil, guys. Or Demoiselle. Gil-ko, on the other hand...)

Weapon - Unique circumstance. One item in inventory; attempts to trade result in; "I do not desire your trash, mongrel."

Starting Weapon - Gate of Babylon - Special. Mt - Fluctuates from 1-25. Rng - 1-3

Promotes to Origin of Myths - (Class Skill: King's Right+; any skill that is activated is also activated with Hawkeye. Due to plus 30% for Rightful King + God, this results in a 95% chance of Luna or Sol. Pick a god and pray for mercy, for he will show none.)

Class help: The pinnacle of strength, the strongest existence.

Level - 30

HP - 99

Str - 65

Mag - 60

Skl - 65

Spd - 65

Lck - 50

Def - 70

Res - 55

Move - 6

He had to be supremely overpowered and I had to think of a way to implement the Gates into the system. The Gates change to always be the better weapon between him and his enemy. If he is attacked with an axe, the Gate takes the properties of a sword. A lance, Gates are axes. Ranged is simply a storm of weapons.

His animations are from Fate/Extra CCC, so go to his exhibition on Youtube if you want to see his attacks.

I've been meaning to write this for some time.

EDIT 3/24/14: Added more story, revamped his abilities.

King's Right - The King's Treasury, from which all weapons are derived. He possesses the original Astra sword and Sol and Luna lances. He is capable of discerning an enemies' intention with just a glance for Pavise and Aegis. The divine armor he bears gives ultimate protection for Dragonskin. His divine heritage gives him gods' favor (Miracle) and rejuvenation (Renewal). Honed reflexes allow any blow to be instantly countered. Long years of monster slaying and putting down rebellions allow him to fell an enemy with a single blow. Charisma gives him auto Dual Support bonuses from morale.

Holy shit if you recruit Gil like this you break the game into pieces once you promote him. Well, he is described is having "almost cheat-like powers" by the creator, so I think I can be excused. Besides, if you beat Apotheosis, chances are there's nothing for him to do anyway.


	4. Regalia and Despair

The Regalia. Divine weapons blessed and touched by the gods themselves. And every weapon must one day, be broken. The gods decided that these masterfully crafted weapons could not be lost. So they stored twins, infinite copies of these weapons in chests. They also took the soul of the original wielder to carry or guard it. After all, what better guardian could a weapon have?

So they were resurrected as the Twelve Deadlords, whose names bore those of the Zodiac Beasts. The realms with the closest ties to the fell energies of death could summon forth these Twelve as deadly and powerful warriors. Even if those wielders were alive, they would always die in another realm.

Aversa summoned five of the Deadlords of Jugdral, one such realm.

But the stronghold with Infinite Regalia, it made no such distinction between the Twelve of Jugdral or any others.

And Robin, the only one among the Shepherds who could see into alternate realms, knew their stories.

The Thirty Six, some were the Shepherds. They dissolved, fell into despair with Chrom's death. Hurt by the betrayal of their closest friend. Angered at said betrayal. Picking up sacred weapons, the charged into battle.

Thirty five of the strongest, most able warriors on the continent against a single man. An observer would say that it was horribly mismatched. And they would be correct.

Lucina will tell you how that battle concluded.

Porcus, the Assassin that had the copy of Sol pried from his fingers? That was Gaius. The thief turned to assassination and became a rather skilled killer. He took Sol, and charged its blade with the energy needed to strike its original wielder, Robin, down. Sol did not manage to scratch the rightful god's dragonskin, and he was swiftly rent apart. Sol found itself, once again, in it's original wielder's hands. Time passed and it became known as a cursed sword, bringing death to both Walhart and Gaius.

"Let Grima keep the cursed sword, perhaps he too will fall to it."

Yet he never did.

Canis, wielder of Valflame. That was Maribelle. Furious at her husband's death, the fiery blessing of the Fala blood, however faint it was, responded to its new owner's desire for vengeance and she attempted to roast her former friend. Much like how Arvis did several centuries ago to Sigurd, so she would do it to Robin.

Fire was not effective against a dragon, however fierce it may be.

Valflame was wielded a short while by Grima, and after discovering he could not use it as well as Maribelle, discarded it in disdain. It would later find itself owned by Morgan as she used it to turn the lush green fields of Ylisse into smoky and charred remnants. She would later wield it on the assault of Ylisstol, attempting to burn Lucina alive. It succeeded in burning the last Ylisseans to death, but ultimately failed as Grima grew tired of these games and returned to his original form, snuffing out the sacred fire with a single beat of his wings.

Gallus was Tharja. She used the most powerful of dark magics, Goetia. It was given to her by her husband as a gift, and that reason coupled with her twisted love for Robin was why Grima used her soul to serve him.

Was there any question of dark magic's effectiveness against the fell dragon himself? As the originator, there was no dark magic in existence that could harm him. Loptyr, Grima, both were the same being, in the end.

Simia was Say'ri, who wielded the Sol Katti. It was once the blade of Robin's oldest and most trusted friend in another life. As she was Robin's closest confident, it was somewhat fitting in a way that she would wield it.

The sight of the golden blade almost caused Grima to falter. Almost.

Equus was Stahl, who used Gungnir. The once easy going and kind Shepherd was angered at his commander's death. He took up Gungnir, which was once said to be so perfectly accurate and balanced it would strike its target without fail.

The mighty lance was peerless, and rightfully so. It was the first wound Grima had received and while it healed over minutes later, it was still a celebrated accomplishment. As for exactly how Grima recovered from a fairly deep wound? He seized Stahl by the throat and drained his soul with the dark magic of Lifetaker, one of the Dark Knight's greatest secrets.

Anguilla… Anguilla's identity was debated hotly by historians, but it was generally accepted she was either Cordelia, who took up sword and magic when her lance proved not enough, or she was Tiki, torn from her rightful place by her friends' side.

After all, what better way to destroy the Ylissean morale than to use the Voice of their own god? What better way to prove Naga did not, would not act to defend them?

Draco proved to be Virion wielding the Yewfelle. The most famous of bows, wielded by a man who claimed to be the greatest of archers. It was by no means a hollow boast, and as such his presence on the field was a death knell for the rapidly dwindling resistence.

Lepus was the once sweet and innocent Lissa. She used the greataxe Hauteclere, once said to rival the Three Regalia, the greatest weapons of the era. The Risen were no longer called such when Lepus was sighted among them. The Recover and Physic staves she used to heal her comrades were used even in death.

The Risen became the Undying. Her vast magical reserves and nearly all encompassing reach with the staves rendered resistance even more pointless and feeble. Silver swords broke upon the Undying's armor, only to instantly be recovered by either a Physic or Fortify during the rare moments when the resistance was in high spirits.

To date that Fortify has only been used once, and that was when the children of the Shepherds joined the field.

Bovis was warped beyond recognition. Historians refuse to believe the Bow Knight was Frederick. There was simply no conceivable way that the greatest knight Ylisse had ever known had fallen so easily, nor that he would kill his own countrymen with such glee.

And Mus. The Deadlord's General and leader.

…Mus was always the realm's greatest general. He was once said to be a peerless leader in life. He possessed the greatest of charisma, the essential factor in commanding and leading large forces.

Lucina never found Chrom's body.

Aversa briefly saw the truth of the Deadlords before she was killed observing the Wellspring of Truth. The once pure waters were corrupted and from it an infinite supply of Deadlords emerged.

Walhart was overrun by the Undying, his own Risen force paltry compared to the peerless army that emerged without pause or rest from the Wellspring. He died a warrior's death. Later, the last soldier of the human race would see a mighty Undying carving through their forces. The last sight he would ever see was the Wolf Berg flying towards him.

Gangrel welcomed death with a smile.

Priam led his small army to a glorious death. He would later be remembered as a hero in the end days.

Naga finally intervened when Priam's life was snuffed, the Ragnell broken underfoot. She ordered Lucina and the other children to come to the Divine Dragon Grounds with all due haste.

It was deep in the enemy's land. And not far from the Wellspring of Truth, from which the Undying were constantly exhumed. It would be nigh suicidal to make for Valm.

But, it was a chance. And all bets were off now.

The ground's holy power was the only thing stopping the Undying from entering it. There, Naga drew all the power from any remaining life, the scraps of power from the Grounds, and condensed it into a single portal. To the past. To fix what went wrong.

Grima saw the portal. It was difficult for him not to, hovering over the world like a dark cloud and sensing his hated former friend's distinctive magical signature. Lucina and the others made a mad dash for it.

Lucina and her friends made it. Grima roared in rage, before flinging Morgan after them and personally extinguishing Naga's life. With her death, the Divine Dragons finally came to extinction.

Turning his attention to the rapidly shrinking portal, he followed them grimly, readying a simple Thunder and Bronze Sword. He needed nothing fancy. The sword was dull only because it was too much of a hassle to sharpen. Grima didn't really need to, in any case; the edge did not cut anymore, it simply pulped its way through armor.

Why would Grima require these things? If Naga was correct, he would need to as his past self was frail, weak. There was no guarantee that his strength would be preserved. And he would not risk the Regalia being broken or carelessly mistreated, so he commanded the twelve original Deadlords to guard them within the Plegian castle.

Four years ago, a journeying man collapsed in the fields of Ylisse. His robes marked him of Plegian faith. And on his right hand, the Mark of Grima burned itself into his flesh.

* * *

A/N: Quite possibly the most grim thing I've ever written. An analysis of Infinite Regalia, where the popular belief is that the Deadlords are the parents from Future of Despair, which I tried to tie in. This theory is supported by some of the first gen's own dialogue, and reinforced by the second.

It doesn't explain Tiki's, however.

I based the identity of the Deadlord's solely upon what classes characters could become. If I made any mistake, it would likely be in Bovis. I never use Frederick so I'm not sure if he can reclass to a Bow Knight. Any gender confusions or inconsistencies I tried to either explain or just flat out ignored, as with the case of Gallus. I really have no explanation for that.

DLC is so ripe with potential!


End file.
